Old nemesis returns to haunt FC Dallas in Portland draw

PORTLAND, Ore. – Some old demons haunted FC Dallas on Sunday night as they let a second-half lead slip in a steamy 1-1 draw with Portland.

Less than two minutes after Scott Sealy finished a goal beautifully created by David Ferreira and Brek Shea, defender Zach Loyd was shown his second yellow card sending Dallas down to 10 men in what seems to be a recurring scene this season. Some heroics from Kevin Hartman kept the Timbers off the scoreboard, but Jack Jewsbury’s spectacular 79th-minute equalizer was really an inevitability.

“Once the red card happened, they’re down 1-0 and up a man so they’re playing with reckless abandon,” Andrew Jacobson told MLSsoccer.com. “[They had] outside backs flying through and it becomes very difficult when you can’t counter and punish them for doing it.”

HIGHLIGHTS: POR vs DAL

The red card and ensuing draw cost FCD a vital two points as they try to pull themselves from the bottom end of the Western Conference table. Dallas are 0-4-1 in MLS games where they have seen red this season.

“I would’ve liked to have seen us play with 11 players, and I think there was enough things going on out there that there could’ve been 10 players on each team,” head coach Schellas Hyndman lamented. “But it seems that when you’re on the road sometimes the calls don’t go your way and this has been one of those seasons.”

The red card completely changed the shape of a Dallas team that had limited Portland to just one shot on goal in the first half. Hyndman brought on Panamanian defender Carlos Rodríguez for Scott Sealy to fill the gap on the right while moving Brek Shea from left wing to forward. The moves left Dallas in a position where they were defending for their lives most of the last half hour.